Thames Water Holdings plcReading, United Kingdom

Lowering Municipal Borrowing Costs - Legislation introduced in the House intends to reduce borrowing costs for municipalities; investment in water and sewer systems may increase as a result. The Municipal Bond Fairness Act would eliminate the ability of the rating agencies to use separate standards for municipal and other bonds. Many experts say that the separate standards result in inaccurate ratings of municipal bonds, so the cost of insuring municipal bonds is often higher than it should be. Water and sewer utilities may benefit if the borrowing cost of municipal bonds that fund investments in water and sewer utilities is lowered.

Utility will Sell Sewer Gas - Water and sewer utilities are turning a waste product of their operations into a revenue source. The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) approved a 20-year contract to sell sewer gas from its wastewater treatment plant to renewable energy company Ameresco. SAWS expects the contract to result in $200,000 to $250,000 of annual revenue that will help offset its $2.3 million annual energy bill.

Proliferation of Nanosilver Growing Concern - The growing proliferation of nanosilver in consumer products may place large numbers of people and broad areas of the environment at risk, warns a report by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS). Products like silver-treated socks, washing machines that discharge silver ions, and silver-coated food containers release nanosilver particles that jeopardize the efforts of water and sewer utilities to keep silver out of the aquatic environment, according to the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. The WWICS report calls for more research to assess environment risks and develop new ways to ensure safe use and disposal of nanosilver.